The map that keeps Burning Man honest

At the end of April, I ran a short campaign to find 15 more paying members of Not-Ship.

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And we did it!

Thank you to the wonderful souls who chose to back this work.

It means the world to me.

💙 Amanda Each year, 70,000 people gather on a dry lakebed in Nevada to build a city from scratch.

This is Black Rock City, home to the infamous Burning Man event.

Eight days later, it's gone.

But 150 people remain.

They line up — side by side, an arms width apart — and slowly walk the 3,800 acres (15.4 km²) of dusty playa.

They're looking for MOOP: Matter Out of Place.

A screw, a sequin, a cigarette butt.

This forensic-style sweep takes weeks; everything they find is removed and logged.

At the end, they're left with a remarkable accounting of what 70,000 people left behind: The MOOP Map.

And I'm obsessed.

The Burning Man 2025 MOOP Map Indicates effort and time spent on MOOP cleanup across Black Rock City.

The map is colour-coded by severity of cleanup.